I am absolutely done with my TomTom Rider 400, it has ruined far too many days out.
The total experience with this thing is absolutely awful and dangerous, I'm not going to go into too much detail because there is simply too much wrong with it, issues include but are not limited to:
Randomly stops giving voice instructions and speed camera alerts even though all the settings are correct. It'll tell me via audio when I'm due to arrive at my destination but that's it, I get no audio instructions along the way. Only fix I've found for this in the past is to bring it home and update it, which obviously cannot be done half way through a day trip. Having to look at the screen for directions is EXTREMELY dangerous while riding a motorcycle. I actually almost unplugged the unit and threw it in a field while riding earlier because it really is that frustrating.
Updates take 3hrs, yep 3hrs, no idea why and it's ridiculous. It'll tell you it's going to take 1hr but it actually takes 3hrs as the counter never seems to go down. Oh and once you start the update you CANNOT stop it, so you are then stuck with it locking up your internet connection for 3hrs. If the update is so slow how on Earth does it completely lock up an internet connection? The data trickles in so slowly yet it somehow uses all of my 100MB connection rendering any other devices useless for 3hrs!
Imported tracks and routes are a complete joke, literally impossible to join a route or track part way through, the damn thing constantly tries to make me go back to the start point, usually through farm tracks which is not ideal for a bunch of tarmac munching cleaned and polished streetfigher bikes.
Using the unit is extremely sluggish, navigating through the menus is so slow, there is literally a 1 second delay after pressing any of the buttons.
Avoid Motorways just does not work, often puts me on a Motorway.
Awful route planning software
I've had it from new and I've persevered with it but it's ruined it's last day out now because I simply cannot rely on this thing to lead a pack of riders anywhere reliably. I honestly cannot think of anything that is good about it so I'm switching to a Garmin, I'm sure Gamrin's have their faults but given every single aspect of this TomTom Rider 400 delivers an awful experience I find it hard to imagine that a Garmin could be worse.
Randomly stops giving voice instructions and speed camera alerts even though all the settings are correct. It'll tell me via audio when I'm due to arrive at my destination but that's it, I get no audio instructions along the way. Only fix I've found for this in the past is to bring it home and update it, which obviously cannot be done half way through a day trip. Having to look at the screen for directions is EXTREMELY dangerous while riding a motorcycle. I actually almost unplugged the unit and threw it in a field while riding earlier because it really is that frustrating.
Updates take 3hrs, yep 3hrs, no idea why and it's ridiculous. It'll tell you it's going to take 1hr but it actually takes 3hrs as the counter never seems to go down. Oh and once you start the update you CANNOT stop it, so you are then stuck with it locking up your internet connection for 3hrs. If the update is so slow how on Earth does it completely lock up an internet connection? The data trickles in so slowly yet it somehow uses all of my 100MB connection rendering any other devices useless for 3hrs!
Imported tracks and routes are a complete joke, literally impossible to join a route or track part way through, the damn thing constantly tries to make me go back to the start point, usually through farm tracks which is not ideal for a bunch of tarmac munching cleaned and polished streetfigher bikes.
Using the unit is extremely sluggish, navigating through the menus is so slow, there is literally a 1 second delay after pressing any of the buttons.
Avoid Motorways just does not work, often puts me on a Motorway.
Awful route planning software
I've had it from new and I've persevered with it but it's ruined it's last day out now because I simply cannot rely on this thing to lead a pack of riders anywhere reliably. I honestly cannot think of anything that is good about it so I'm switching to a Garmin, I'm sure Gamrin's have their faults but given every single aspect of this TomTom Rider 400 delivers an awful experience I find it hard to imagine that a Garmin could be worse.
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Answers
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Hi
Are you using a TTS (Text to speech) Computer Voice ??? They have a far greater vocabulary range than the recorded voice....Randomly stops giving voice instructions and speed camera alerts even though all the settings are correct. It'll tell me via audio when I'm due to arrive at my destination but that's it, I get no audio instructions along the way. Only fix I've found for this in the past is to bring it home and update it, which obviously cannot be done halfway through a day trip. Having to look at the screen for directions is EXTREMELY dangerous while riding a motorcycle. I actually almost unplugged the unit and threw it in a field while riding earlier because it really is that frustrating.
Are any of the sound Icons slashed through
I have 110 MB/s Broadband, Win 10 PC hard-wired back to the router, the full Europe Map is around 8.6 GB in sizeUpdates take 3hrs, yep 3hrs, no idea why and it's ridiculous. It'll tell you it's going to take 1hr but it actually takes 3hrs as the counter never seems to go down
My Rider 400 takes around 55 to 65 Minutes to update the Map....
Correct... But why would you want to stop the update in the middle of the process ???Oh, and once you start the update you CANNOT stop it
I have 110 MB/s Broadband Connection and a nothing special Win 10 PC... I can still multitask and use the PC as NORMAL while device is updating....You are then stuck with it locking up your internet connection for 3hrs. If the update is so slow how on Earth does it completely lock up an internet connection? The data trickles in so slowly yet it somehow uses all of my 100 MB connection rendering any other devices useless for 3hrs!
Yes... If you are using .ITN Routes Tapping the 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current route menu only offers Drive to route....Imported tracks and routes are a complete joke, literally impossible to join a route or track part way through(Snip)
But with the .ITN calculated and displayed on the device you simply Pinch Zoom to where you want to join the route... Long Tap (+ 1 second) on the route, a Quick Menu opens, Tap the 3Dot Menu... choose 'Use as a Starting Point'....
Then Tap 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current route... Drive to route
>GPX Track... The Tap 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current Track menu... offers Ride to Track & Ride tp Starting Point
How much Free Memory Working Space on your device ??? 400 MB is the bare Minimum, the more Free Space the faster the device will operate....Using the unit is extremely sluggish, navigating through the menus is so slow, there is literally a 1-second delay after pressing any of the buttons.
If you are using a .GPX Track, the .GPX Track is basically a bread crumb track that you follow... If the .GPX Track includes a Motorway, then you use the Motorway....Avoid Motorways just does not work, often puts me on a Motorway.
.ITN Routes... Most of the time I want the Fastest Route... Job Done
On the odd occasions I want something different, say I want to 'Avoid Motorways'...
After Planning and Calculating the route
I Tap the 4Dot (....) Menu --> Current Route --> Change route type... Choose Route Type required 'Like' (Avoid Motorways) the device recalculates the route avoiding Motorways
The MyDrive Web Route planner isn't as bad as you are making out... The limit of a 20 Stop (Max) for .ITN Routes is my main dislike.... I also use the 3rd party MyRoute App & the ITN Converter (It’s also a Route Planner)....Awful route planning software(Snip)
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TomTom Rider 410/400/40 User Guide....
Here... https://help.tomtom.com/hc/en-gb/articles/360014295300-Rider-450-420-42-410-400-40-User-Manual
ATB YFM0 -
Thanks for the detailed reply :-)
Are you using a TTS (Text to speech) Computer Voice ??? They have a far greater vocabulary range than the recorded voice....
Nope, just using the default voices.
Are any of the sound Icons slashed through
Nope.
Correct... But why would you want to stop the update in the middle of the process ???
Because it hogs my internet connection for 3hrs, like totally hogs it, running a speed test while the update is happening yields a 0.5MB download speed!
I have 110 MB/s Broadband Connection and a nothing special Win 10 PC... I can still multitask and use the PC as NORMAL while device is updating....
I have a top tier gaming PC and it will multitask fine while the TomTom is updating, it is the internet connection that gets rendered unusable.
Yes... If you are using .ITN Routes Tapping the 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current route menu only offers Drive to route....
But with the .ITN calculated and displayed on the device you simply Pinch Zoom to where you want to join the route... Long Tap (+ 1 second) on the route, a Quick Menu opens, Tap the 3Dot Menu... choose 'Use as a Starting Point'....
Then Tap 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current route... Drive to route
>GPX Track... The Tap 4Dot (.... Menu) --> Current Track menu... offers Ride to Track & Ride tp Starting Point
Tried that yesterday, had an anticlockwise track and it kept trying to make us turn around and go back to the start going clockwise around the track?! it kept taking us off of our track and through fields to to a 180 and go back to the starting point even though I asked it to take us to the nearest point.
How much Free Memory Working Space on your device ??? 400 MB is the bare Minimum, the more Free Space the faster the device will operate....
Just under 5GB free.
.ITN Routes... Most of the time I want the Fastest Route... Job Done
On the odd occasions I want something different, say I want to 'Avoid Motorways'...
After Planning and Calculating the route
I Tap the 4Dot (....) Menu --> Current Route --> Change route type... Choose Route Type required 'Like' (Avoid Motorways) the device recalculates the route avoiding Motorways
Mine is set to avoid motorways, after it ruined our day yesterday I told it to just take us home (avoiding motorways) and it took us right to the nearest motorway...
The MyDrive Web Route planner isn't as bad as you are making out... The limit of a 20 Stop (Max) for .ITN Routes is my main dislike.... I also use the 3rd party MyRoute App & the ITN Converter (It’s also a Route Planner)....
I also use MyRoute-App because the standard software is very un-intuative.0 -
Either way it is irrelevant now because I just sold the TomTom and ordered a Garmin. No doubt the Garmin will have it's problems but like I said I can't really see how it would be worse than the TomTom.0
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Hi
I hope you enjoy your new device... Out of the frying pan into the fire comes to mind !!!
I only had my Ga*m*n for a Month before I returned it... It nearly drove me crazy
ATB YFM0
